The present invention relates generally to techniques for mounting electrical components to circuit boards, and more specifically to techniques for surface mounting electrical components to circuit boards.
Techniques for mounting electrical components to circuit boards are known and commonly used in the electronics industry. Many such electrical components include electrical leads (sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cpinsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cterminalsxe2x80x9d) extending therefrom, wherein these electrical leads must be mechanically and electrically attached to the circuit board in forming a desired electrical or electronic circuit.
Early electrical circuit boards included a number of holes or passageways defined therethrough, and an electrically conductive film patterned on a backside thereof. With such circuit boards, electrical components are typically arranged on a top side of the circuit board, and their electrical leads are passed through appropriate holes defined through the board and soldered to the electrically conductive film patterned around the various circuit board holes. In this manner, electrical components are arranged on a top side of the circuit board, and mechanically and electrically attached to an opposite back side of the circuit board to form a desired electrical or electronic circuit.
Advances in circuit board technology have provided for so-called xe2x80x9cplated-throughxe2x80x9d hole technology wherein electrically conductive film can be patterned on both the top side, the back side and/or within a circuit board, as well as on the sidewalls of the various holes defined through the circuit board. Circuit boards implementing plated-through technology provide for the ability to carry out the soldering process on either or both sides of the circuit board.
An example of a known electrical circuit assembly technique utilizing a plated-through hole circuit board is shown in FIGS. 1A and 2. Referring to FIG. 1A, an electrical component 12 is attached to a circuit board 14 via a number of electrical terminals 16a-16x extending from component 12. Circuit board 14 includes a corresponding number of electrically conductive pads 18a-18x defining plated-through holes 14xe2x80x2 therethrough (see FIG. 2). Referring to FIG. 1B, each of the electrical terminals 16X conventionally define a region 16Xxe2x80x2 extending from component 12 and having a first width or cross-sectional area that is larger than the cross-sectional area of the circuit board holes 14xe2x80x2, and a region 16Xxe2x80x3 extending from region 16xxe2x80x2 and having a second reduced width or cross sectional area that is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the circuit board holes 14xe2x80x2. The interface between regions 16Xxe2x80x2 and 16Xxe2x80x3 typically defines a step that supports the component 12 against the top of the circuit board 14 when the various electrical terminals 16a-16x are extended through the circuit board holes 14xe2x80x2. The electrical terminals 16a-16x are then electrically and mechanically attached to the corresponding electrically conductive pads 18a-18x via solder connections 20a-20x as illustrated in FIG. 1A.
Referring to FIG. 2, a cross-section of the circuit assembly illustrated in FIG. 1A is shown along section lines 2xe2x80x942. FIG. 2 illustrates a known technique for electrically and mechanically attaching example electrical leads 16b and 16z (not shown in FIG. 1) of electrical component 12 to circuit board 14. For example, electrical terminal 16b includes a first section 16bxe2x80x2 extending from electrical component 12 in a direction generally parallel with a top planar surface 12a thereof. A second section 16bxe2x80x3 of electrical terminal 16b extends downwardly and in a direction substantially normal to the planar face 12a of electrical component 12 and through a hole or passageway 14xe2x80x2 defined through circuit board 14. The hole or passageway 14xe2x80x2 is plated-through as shown by electrically conductive film portions 18b. A solder connection 20b forms an electrical and mechanical attachment of terminal portion 16bxe2x80x3 to the electrically conductive film portions 18b. 
While the known electrical component mounting techniques described hereinabove and shown with respect to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2 have been extensively used in the electronics industry, they have certain drawbacks associated therewith. For example, while some electrical components may be mounted flush and in contact with the top of circuit board 14, others must be elevated from the top of the circuit board as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for various reasons. In such cases, a number of drawbacks may result. For example, electrical component 12 may be a display unit or other device having a top surface 12a that must not only be elevated from circuit board 14, but must also be substantially parallel with circuit board 14 for proper viewing thereof. If the electrical terminals 16a-16z are not precisely configured such that each of the interfaces between terminal portions 16Xxe2x80x2 and 16Xxe2x80x3 define substantially parallel surfaces, special care must then be taken to ensure that electrical component 12 is mounted to circuit board 14 in such a manner that surface 12a is substantially parallel with circuit board 14.
What is therefore needed is a technique for mounting electrical components to circuit boards that overcome the foregoing and other related difficulties associated with conventional electrical component mounting techniques.
The foregoing shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the present invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method of mounting an electrical circuit component to a circuit board comprises the steps of providing an electrical component having an electrical terminal extending therefrom, providing a circuit board defining a bore extending from a first surface toward a second opposite surface thereof, deforming the electrical terminal to define a mounting portion having a tip portion extending away therefrom, and mounting the electrical component to the circuit board with the mounting portion of the electrical terminal juxtaposed with the first surface of the circuit board and with the tip extending into the bore.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a circuit assembly comprises an electrical component having an electrical terminal extending therefrom, the electrical terminal defining a mounting portion having a tip portion extending therefrom, and a circuit board defining a bore extending from a first surface toward a second opposite surface thereof. The electrical component is mounted to the circuit board with the mounting portion of the electrical terminal juxtaposed with the first surface of the circuit board and with the tip extending into the bore.
One object of the present invention is to provide a technique for surface-mounting an electrical component to a circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a technique to simplify the construction of circuit assemblies utilizing display units.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment.